Once in a Lifetime
by MusicIsMyLife22095
Summary: A normal girl living in Mystic Falls meets Kol Mikaelson, but doesn't fall for him right away, despite his impervious charms, but he ends up winning her over eventually. Will this end in a fairytale or a tragedy?
1. Chapter 1

I entered the Mystic Grill looking for Ryan. My eyes were still trying to adjust to the dim lighting, I was squinting. I looked all around, but I couldn't find him. Finally, I spotted him at one of the corner tables, working on something on his laptop.

"Sorry I'm late," I say sliding into the chair across from him. "Rehearsal went a little later than expected."

"Not a problem," he said, not looking up from his laptop. "I'm working on a history project for Mr. Saltzman's class."

"Since when did Mr. Saltzman assign a project?" I question. We had the same teacher.

Ryan sighed and closed his laptop, finally looking at me.

"Well, there's this hot new girl-"

"Wait," I interrupt him. " _Hot new girl_? What happened to Marissa?"

"Not interested anymore."

"She's not interested or you're not interested?"

He gave me a look that said he was the one who wasn't interested anymore.

"Because of the hot new girl?" I guess.

He looked away, avoiding my eyes.

"Ryan!" I scold. "You know, you're kind of a man-whore."

He smiled and shrugged, "So?"

I sigh. My twin brother's reputation with girls was infamous. He dated one for at least a week, then dumped them when a better option came along. I didn't understand why girls even dated him in the first place if they knew they were probably going to get their hearts broken. My guess was that they all thought that they could be that one special girl who changed my brother for the better. It didn't help that he led them to believe it, either.

"I swear one of these days, a girl is going to do the exact same thing as you're doing to other girls," I remarked. "Karma is going to be there to bite you in the ass eventually."

He gave a little smirk. My brother was so damn cocky that it annoyed me to no end.

"Who says that day will come?"

"You're way too cocky for your own good," I say, getting up. "When the waitress comes, order me a sweet tea, please."

"Where are you going?"

"The bathroom."

I make my way to the bathroom, thinking about all the lines I had to memorize for the new play I was doing. The drama club was putting on Romeo and Juliet and I had landed the lead role of Juliet. I was stressing over the lines I would have to learn, especially because it was all in Shakespearean context.

I was so deeply in my thoughts that I didn't realize that I'd bumped into someone.

"Oh," l looked up and stopped dead in my tracks. "I'm sorry-"

The person I'd bumped into was a guy who was about 6'1, brown eyes that looked like chocolate and a very handsome face.

He didn't say anything, just studied my face for what seemed like an eternity. I felt frozen in time, locked in his gaze. I got goosebumps all over and my mind went foggy. The tense moment was over and he moved past me and headed back towards the bar, joining another guy who I assumed was one of his buddies.

 _How weird_ , I thought, continuing to the bathroom. I hadn't liked the way he made me feel. Every nerve in my body was telling me to stay away, that something was off.

After finishing in the bathroom, I made my way back towards Ryan and I's table. When I sat down, my drink and food were already there.

"I didn't order anything yet," I say, looking at the chicken club wrap and onion rings that were in front of my seat. How long had that tense moment with that guy lasted?

"You always order the same thing," Ryan shrugged. "I figured that I'd go ahead and order for you."

"What if I didn't want it today?" I question.

He gives me a look, "We both know you were going to order it anyway, so just sit down and eat and stop arguing."

"I'm not arguing…"I sit down.

We sat in silence for a few minutes, eating our food.

"So what was with that guy you bumped into at the bar?" Ryan asked. "You stared at each other for a while."

"I don't know," I answered truthfully and then something clicked. "It was weird. I feel like he was staring into my soul or something."

Ryan shrugged again. "I thought you knew him or something."

"No," I shook my head, trying to figure out how time could've passed like that. "I said I was sorry for bumping into him and then he just stared at me, saying nothing."

"Want me to go talk to him?" Ryan's devil may care smile came out.

"No," I was adamant. "Last time you did that, I didn't have a date to homecoming because you scared him off."

"Not my fault Lockwood can't take a joke," Ryan's smile turned mischievous, remembering his shenanigans on Tyler freshman year.

Ryan and Tyler were childhood best friends. Our families had been close, so we all grew up together. The boys had been inseparable until sophomore year of high school. Tyler got into football and Ryan got into music. They were friendly when they saw each other, but never hung out anymore.

Tyler and I were a different story. You know how that one childhood crush you have that lasts up, until sixth grade? Yeah, that was Tyler and I. I honestly thought we were going to end up dating eventually, but it never happened. Not that I'm complaining, Tyler was a major douchebag and I'm glad I didn't end up dating him. Although, he seemed to have changed in the past year and was now dating Caroline Forbes…which is a different story for another day.

Ryan stands up and throws a twenty on the table.

"You're done?" I ask. I'd been so lost in thought that I'd barely touched my food.

"Yeah," he answers. "I'll see you at home."

I stand up to follow Ryan and I feel someone's eyes on me. I turn around and spot that guy I ran into earlier staring at me. What was his problem?

I walk over to him, wanting to know why he was staring at me.

"Dude," I say. "What is your problem? Did anyone ever tell you that staring is rude? Or that not speaking to someone when spoken to is also rude? Were you raised by wolves?"

He continues to stare at me, not saying anything. I was starting to get even more annoyed than I already was.

"Fine," I sigh. "Be that way." I start walking towards the door.

"Wait," I hear behind me.

I turn around once more and he's standing _right_ there. Ever hear of personal space?

"Oh," I said. "Now you decide to talk to me?"

"Forgive me," he says, somewhat apologetically. "I was just looking at the most beautiful thing in this place."

It took me a moment to realize he had meant me.

"Flattery won't do you any good," I tell him.

"I'm Kol," he introduces himself, ignoring my comment.

"Hanna," I reluctantly tell him my name. What game was he playing at?

"Can I buy you a drink?" he asks.

"You do me one better," I say. "You can watch me leave and pretend that this conversation never happened."

I knew I was being a bitch, but he kind of deserved it. I wasn't going to waste my time on a guy who acted one way one minute and acted another way the next. I'd had my fair share of guys who couldn't make up their minds.

* * *

When I get home, my mom is on the front porch in her rocking chair, reading a book.

"Hey, honey," she looks up when she sees me. "How was school?"

"Fine," I sigh. "Ryan is on to another girl, just like always."

"That was quick," she says. "What happened to Marissa? She's such a nice girl."

I rolled my eyes. Marissa was not a 'nice girl,' she'd already slept with half of the football team. Not to mention, she was a bitch. Of course, she started acting nice to me when she and my brother started hooking up.

"He said he 'wasn't interested anymore,'" I answer. "Because of some 'hot new girl.'"

My mom shook her head. She was also disappointed in the way my brother treated girls.

"One day that boy is going to meet a girl who he's head over heels for and she's going to end up doing the same thing to him." My mom says. "Karma can be a wonderful thing or it can be a terrible thing. It just depends on which side of it you're on."

"He'll figure it out one day," I sigh, opening the door to go into the house.

"Let's hope so," my mother says before I close the door.

I go up the stairs to my room and plop down on my bed, thinking about today's events. I couldn't stop thinking about that guy Kol. I know most girls would've swooned at a guy like that staring at them.

 _He is handsome_ , I admitted to myself.

 _Shut up, you traitorous mind,_ I thought to myself.

I decided to take my mind off of it and focus on memorizing my lines for the play. I grabbed a highlighter and my lines and started going over them.

I was so deep into the words that I almost didn't hear the knock on the door.

"Come in," I say, not taking my eyes off of the script.

"Hanna," my little sister Carly says, coming into the room holding what looked like and invitation. "A very handsome guy dropped this off for you at the front door."

She handed me the invitation.

On further inspection, it was a handwritten note:

 _Hanna,_

 _Meet me in the town square tonight at eight o'clock._

 _-Kol_

I stared at the note blankly after reading it. How did he know where I lived?

"Are you going to go?" Carly asked curiously.

"I don't know," I say, still shocked. "We just met today. I don't even know how he knew where I lived."

"It's kind of romantic," she says, her eyes filled with wonder.

"It's creepy," I correct her.

"You should still go," she encourages me. "Just to see what he wants."

It was obvious my twelve-year-old sister didn't know much about the world yet. I envied her innocence and how naïve she was. I hoped she could stay like that. It was tempting to go, but he could be a serial killer for all I knew.

"Maybe," I sigh.

I had butterflies in my stomach and my heart was beating with anticipation and I was all of a sudden giddy. My body was such a traitor to my mind.


	2. Chapter 2

"Are you gonna go?" Carly stuck her head in my room a little while later.

"No," I answer, not looking up from my homework.

"Why not?" she said disappointed.

I sigh and look up at my sister. She had a hopeful look in her eyes.

"One, because he's a complete stranger that I just met today and for all I know, he could be a serial killer," I answer. "And two, I have homework to catch up on."

"C'mon Hanna," she whined. "This could be a once in a lifetime chance. Plus, he was so handsome when he came to the door."

I understood that she was only twelve and she still believed in romantic fantasies, but her naivetés could be a little annoying sometimes. I envied her because she didn't know yet how cruel the world could be.

"Fine," I sigh. "I'll go."

"Yay!"

Yes, I was going to go. Only because I was never going to hear the end of it if I didn't and also because I wanted to confront him and see what his problem was.

I get up off of my bed and walk towards the door, not bothering to change.

"You're not going to change?" she asked, surprised.

"I'm not treating it as a date," I answer, starting down the steps towards the front door. I look at Carly. "I'll be back in a little bit. If I don't come home, tell Ryan because he knows what this guy looks like."

I close the front door shut behind me and start on my way towards town square. Again, my body started to tingle with anticipation, knowing I was about to see him again. My feelings made me feel very stupid, especially because my mind was trying to stay alert and not give in to the giddiness I was feeling.

 _I'm so stupid for doing this,_ I thought. _I shouldn't be meeting a guy alone I'd just met a few hours ago_.

 _Carly could be right though,_ the irrational part of my mind chimed in. _This could be a once in a lifetime chance. This may never happen again. Plus, he's hot._

The internal war within my head continued as I drew closer to the square. Right now I didn't know what to do. I could turn around and go back to my house and pretend this never happened, or I could continue to the square and let curiosity get the best of me.

You know what they say, _curiosity killed the cat._

In the end, curiosity won and I continued towards the clock tower that loomed in the distance ahead.

I arrive at the clock tower and look around. There are townspeople milling about the square, but no Kol.

Wouldn't it be funny if he stood me up when I was the one who was originally going to stand him up?

"Hanna," I hear a voice behind me.

I turn, and see Kol standing there. The traitorous butterflies swirled in my stomach, along with the giddiness that seemed to envelop body.

"I was getting worried," he admitted. "I thought you stood me up."

 _I was going to,_ I thought.

"You're lucky curiosity won over rationale," I say, keeping my guard up and trying to fight the giddiness and butterflies.

"Meaning?" he looked confused.

"For all I know, you could be a serial killer," I explain. "Me coming here could either be the worst mistake of my life, or the best mistake of my life. I'm waiting to see how this night turns out first. Plus, I want to know what you want."

"What I want?" Kol asked.

"With me, I mean," I say. "At the Grill today you just stared at me when I bumped into you, you said nothing. Which if you ask me, that's kind of rude."

"I apologize," he says, smiling. "I was just stunned by your beauty."

I bust out laughing.

"Dude," I say, trying to conceal my laugh. "That has got to be the worst pick up line I have ever heard and I've heard some pretty bad ones."

I don't know who this guy was kidding, starting off with a line like that.

"It was pretty bad, wasn't it?" he smirked.

"Yeah," I smile.

"Well," he said. "I did think you were beautiful when I saw you enter at the Grill earlier."

I could feel my cheeks getting red.

"I guess…" I trail off, trying to hide my face from his view.

I felt his fingers under my chin, pulling my face up so he could look into my eyes.

"Why do you doubt your beauty?"

"Because when I was younger I got called ugly a lot," I explain. "It messes with your self-esteem. I never really got over it. Kids can be cruel."

"Anyone who thinks you're ugly is blind," his eyes were kind, and I could tell that he meant it.

I smiled.

"Would you like to walk around?" he asks.

"Yes," I say, still smiling. "I would like that a lot."

We started walking around downtown Mystic Falls, talking. We talked about our childhoods, our families and siblings.

"Wow, and I thought I had a dysfunctional family," I say after he told me a story about his brother Niklaus, who he called Nik, and how he liked to control all of them and threw a fit whenever he didn't get his way. "Your brother sounds psychotic."

Kol shrugged. "It's nothing we can't handle. All of us are used to it by now."

I really hoped that I would never have to meet his brother Nik.

"See, the only problem I have with my brother is that he's kind of a man-whore," I say. "It's like he has a new girlfriend every week. He dumps one when another, better option comes along. I swear one day he's going to regret it."

"He probably will," Kol says. "Karma can be a bitch."

I nodded my head in agreement.

We walked in silence for a few minutes. I felt the agonizing urge to take his hand and I wondered if he felt the same way. The air was almost electric between us, I was waiting for us to catch on fire.

"So what brings you to Mystic Falls?" I break the agonizing silence.

"My family," he answers. "We lived here when I was little, but we moved after my parents split."

"Oh," I felt sympathy for him. "I'm sorry. Why did they split? If you don't mind me asking."

"My father found out that my mother had been unfaithful," Kol explained. "Her indiscretion led to the conception of my brother Nik. He didn't find out about it until well after Rebekah and I were born."

"That must've been so terrible," I say.

"It was," he admits. "But no matter, I'm glad to be home."

Neither of us said anything for what seemed like a while.

"Are your parents still together?" he finally asks.

"My dad died from leukemia a few years back. It was horrible. I hated seeing him suffer like that. I don't wish that on even my worst enemy."

Before I realized it, we were standing on my front porch. I hadn't noticed that we'd started walking back towards my house.

"May I call on you again sometime?" he asked in what almost seemed like an old fashioned manner.

"Yes," I smile. "You may."

He slowly leans down to kiss me and when our lips met, I could've sworn fireworks went off. The electricity had turned into a flame and we were both lost in time and in each other. Our lips moved in perfect synchronization, to perfect puzzle pieces fitting together.

After what seemed like hours, I pulled away from him.

"I'd better go inside," I move closer to the door. "Goodnight, Kol."

"Goodnight, Hanna," Kol turns away and starts walking back down the driveway and into the night.

As I watched him leave, I felt like I was a princess watching her prince charming going off onto some journey, anticipating the next time she'd see him. I also felt very, very stupid because I'd sworn to myself I wouldn't get caught up in this and yet, here I was, smiling like an idiot.

 **Hey guys, thanks for reading! I want to know what you guys think, so please leave your review!**


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